Tibetan Buddhism Is Not So Scary…
it is just culturally elaborate and symbolic.
Guru Yoga, Yidams, Dakinis are all our own mind essence.
Mind essence is awareness that is perfectly clear.
This is not at all complicated.
We are mind essence that is aware;
it is conscious clarity itself.
We ignore mind essence when we are captured by thoughts.
Therefore, thoughts are ignore-ance.
Beyond The Spiritual Dream Machine
God essence, Buddha essence, Our essence, are not different.
However, in Pure Consciousness, there is no God, Buddha or Self.
It is the expression of Pure Consciousness that is individual.
So, when we step on to a spiritual path, we step into another’s expression, a spiritual language. In ordinary life, we dwell in a conventional, collective, dream machine, and use language in a limited, conventional way based around my self. Society demands that we consent to what is believed to be normal, which is a self with a permanent identity.
The moment we step out of this ‘belief in normal’, we have stepped beyond. Now, here’s the thing; the moment we step on to a spiritual path, we are beyond the conventional; Shunryu Suzuki called this “Beginner Mind, Zen Mind”.
Now we are in danger of being caught up in spiritual manifestations and elaborations: acquiring expressions and losing the beyond-experience of wonder, we step straight back into the dream machine – but this time, it’s a spiritual dream machine.
This is not bad in itself, but we may be adding to pure consciousness instead of being pure consciousness, in the wonder of “What’s this?”:
In the space of emptiness,
things pop up and we say, “What’s this? What’s this?”
And to that, we say, “Not this, not this. Thou are that”.
And to that, we say, “Not this, not this”,
and come to rest.
Pure consciousness is pure experience without constantly relating to either an experiencer, or that which is experienced. It is purely empty awareness.
I’ve been closely involved with numerous traditions over the years, and have found that no open, honest communication ever takes place within spiritual groups – just expressions of indoctrination. Empathy and genuine compassion cannot exist in such an environment. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it’s part of a process that creates a catalyst for revealing our emotions, which have cleverly hidden away. Spiritual groups heighten emotions because we are trying too hard and cannot live up to the expectations: everything becomes more intense as we experience guilt, and thus react, justifying and becoming defensive. My wife and I usually found that the best part of retreats was leaving … 😀 It’s such a relief! This is the same as the moment when WE STOP MEDITATING! 😀 That moment is the meditation.
How do we recognise that we are in a dream machine? We get touchy. We only get touchy or over-sensitive when we’re preserving an idea about self. Again, this is not necessarily bad as it’s a process … the game of self is now glaringly obvious, and the light switches on, if we have the courage to look, see, and drop it.
To go beyond the spiritual dream machine is to go beyond the sentimentality of the group, which is the expression of others. Just remember that groups need members, and members need the group, and groups need finances to survive: groups therefore need committees and committees think they’re in charge, becoming more important than the individuals. Honestly, we are free to let go, but it implies, “Be it on your own head”. We are told that we are free, but feel we’re not, and so we keep coming back from fear of missing out on a ‘special’ teaching … until we realise that we … are … free! Life is then the end of the retreat, the non-meditation when we stop trying too hard. If we go beyond the spiritual dream machine, we realise that it is no longer needed, because we now realise the charade.
Of course, being a member of a group in order to support others is altruistic, but there has to be a true interest in others’ welfare. I’ve never ever seen that happen. Still, that’s not a bad thing as it helps us to let go and start again constantly – be a beginner. Being at the beginning … the beginning is the end.
A blog does the same thing, but without fees – without committees – without guilt – and you don’t have to join anything.
Every Day Is A Bad News Day
or is it?
What can we do in a world of fear-mongering news and manipulated trivia? People are vulnerable, and so can be exploited to accept more taxes, more surveillance, more wars, more toxic food, more chemical intervention, more laws, more entertainment, more intrusion and restriction in their lives. So what can we do? We can be more aware that we are being manipulated.
“That’s all a bit depressing!”
The key to enlightenment is feeling of ‘being’ weighed down, pressed down = depression.
“The key to enlightenment is depression?! But I thought the key to enlightenment was understanding!”
It is, but to understand something is to perceive the intended meaning in its entirety. That means to experience for ourselves what it actually feels like, rather than just collecting well-considered words.
Awareness itself will not change the world (until more people wake up from the dream machine) but it will change the reactions of hope and fear in our mind. The universe is as it is, in constant turmoil and change. Cause and effect create another cause and effect …
As spiritual seekers, we are aware of the annoying, depressing ‘grit’ in the mind – that we may see as an obstacle to realisation. But we are still vulnerable people, and can thus be exploited, so remaining in the dream machine. Striving to be pure and holy, we want to free ourselves of the ‘grit’: this isn’t clarity – it’s trying to rid ourselves of uncomfortable feelings.
We may be told to surrender and renounce our attachment to the grit. Gurus may tell us, “Don’t look at the bad. Appreciate what is good, and you’ll feel better.” So we isolate ourselves from the irritating world of bad news, and become ensnared in the spiritual dream machine. This is living in fear, and hoping the guru will put it all right. Life isn’t like that. We know that when we solve one problem, we are blessed with another. This is how we learn, if we are open to experiences. Pure consciousness is just having experiences, neither good nor bad.
I’m clearing our loft space at the moment, and have found that we are blessed with a rat and dead mice, along with insulation contaminated with droppings … and a wasps’ nest … and holes in the wall … and a ladder that’s too short … and I’ve other chores waiting to be attended to.
Accepting that every day is just a news day – neither good nor bad – it is dealing skilfully with past karma – one’s own and what others’ karma left behind. The actual day is teaching us something. We can either stay depressed, or we can deal with each arising, moment by moment, which is quite enlightening.
When we learn, we are no longer in the dark, and are therefore enlightened, rather than weighed down by confusion.
Non-Human Attacks
Sometimes we are assailed by thoughts of past misunderstandings, present desires and fears, or future expectations, and we cannot seem to stop them. This is demonic mind either causing trouble – or blessing us! Even the Buddha* had hallucinations just before enlightenment, so we are not alone.
Sometimes, thoughts are so strong that even being in the present moment doesn’t seem to help; they just pop up.
One thing to remember is that we cannot think of two things at once; different thoughts and images maybe, but not two word-thoughts at the same time.
If the mind is in turmoil, mentally repeating a prayer or mantra cuts out the thoughts! I just say a mantra very fast for a few short moments, and this breaks the pattern of behaviour – and the mind behaves itself!
The prayer or mantra we use is up to us. Try it, and see if it works.
*In Buddhism, Mara is the demon who assaulted Gautama Buddha beneath the bodhi tree, using violence, sensory pleasure and mockery in an attempt to prevent the Buddha from attaining enlightenment.
Mara personifies unskillfulness, the “death” of the spiritual life. He is a tempter, distracting humans from spiritual practice through making the mundane seem alluring, or the negative seem positive. This is a universal theme.
The concept of Mara represents and personifies negative qualities found in the human ego and psyche. The stories associated with Mara remind us that such demonic forces can be tamed by controlling one’s mind, cravings and attachments.
Demons Hate Inner Peace
That’s why they cause trouble for practitioners.
Tibetans say that demons hate compassionate activity, and therefore attack practitioners and cause trouble. In order to show demons kindness and ask them to leave, tormas are offered with prayers during rituals. This is the culture in Tibet.
We may think that this doesn’t apply to us … so we don’t bother. Think again!
On an everyday level, whether we are dealing with demonic activity of a human nature (someone who really dislikes us ) or non-human nature (stuff just seems to happen), the only way to address the situation is to defuse it by offering love and compassion. This is not an easy task. If harm or obstructions occur, these cannot be pacified by anger, retaliation, or resentment towards the person or thing causing the harm. For this reason, we need to be skilful, and have an attitude of avoiding compounding harm by causing further obstacles.
Maybe practitioners are more sensitive to negative projections as they have an understanding of the causes of sentient beings’ motivations, ie they see more as they are more aware. We can only counter negativity with clarity and compassion (… or garlic ;D ). Incidentally, compassion comes in many forms; search in archives for The Four Enlightened Activities of pacifying, magnetising, enriching and destroying ego’s games.
*
There are many applications of tormas:
An Inflamed Immune System And Depression – Or Worse!
Inflammation of the brain
“We think that the immune system is the key mechanism…life events trigger changes in the immune system, priming it to increase the risk of depression”. *
They say, “The key to depression is the immune system.”
But what are those life events that trigger change?
Is it something we digest physically and mentally?
The key is being unaware of what is happening to us.
* Link:
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(16)30307-6/fulltext?rss=yes
The Inflamed Mind First aired Aug 24, 2016 BBC Radio 4 Presented by James Gallagher.
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan
Routine Recitations and Karma
Karma is the personal programming in our mind that affects our behaviour: it is the result of previous actions, which creates reactions. It’s how habits are formed. Whatever happens in the mind affects the brain, in the way our synapses are joined up. It’s our software – the programming of our hard drive. As our actions are usually self centred, we re-programme ourselves continuously. We consent to becoming a conformists; we conform to a pattern.
Spiritual recitations turn us into non-conformists, and can break this karmic chain that enslaves us … if they’re done properly! This is not to do with how we do it – with the ‘right’ ceremony – but why we do it.
Doing hundreds of thousands of prayers or mantras could be merely part of programming if we do it as a good luck charm. Knowing the meaning of the words helps, but real fruition is genuine regret for wasting time by forgetting our true nature, and genuine compassion for other sentient beings who have forgotten their true nature.
If we do not have a genuine aspiration, then the recitation loop will just be the same as the conformist loop. If we want to break out of the programme, we must know our intention. This is a personal matter.
Do we have to do recitations? No. But if it helps to focus, then why not? Recitations may be done either verbally or mentally – whatever works for you.
If this approach seems vague and ‘blurs’ in the mind, it may reveal how strong the programming is, and how much we identify with it.
Remember And Relax
You can’t get any simpler than that!
When we relax, we just let go.
Letting go brings space and clarity,
free from worry.
It’s not theory. Try it for a moment.
When relaxed, we become aware, free of tension.
Rest a little more and realise pure awareness.
Pure awareness is our spiritual being.
In that spiritual space, inspiration dawns.
In that spiritual space are teachings.
The voice of God? The clarity of mind?
Of course, the tension comes back again,
and we just remember again.
Simple.
If we want it complicated,
we become a scholar, a specialist.
But there is nothing special about pure awareness;
we are all it!
I Still Want To Improve!
This is how we all feel.
In the moment now, it’s true that there is nothing to improve as, in the moment now, there is only pure awareness – emptiness – with phantoms arising within that emptiness. But first, before we achieve this state, we have to remember.
Remembering is how we improve. We may remember now and again, but gradually through regular practice, those moments of remembrance become more frequent. This being the case, we are less forgetful and more conscious, and the impure gradually turns to pure. Practice is engaging in regular study and analysis, and sitting quietly in reflection, being aware of the space in which these reflections occur: in other words, it’s experiencing stillness until there is just stillness itself. That is also called ‘meditation’.
Being more conscious, we become more efficient at whatever we do – and so, there is an improvement in the way in which we address our situation. We don’t get carried away with improving, as we may like it too much, which gives rise to expectations, guilt, competitiveness, fear … 😀 Throughout life, there is always something address, so we merely cruise through it all. It’s being cool about everything.
One opportunity to practise improving is we’re when in the company of another. This is always challenging. We have to remember that we are improving ourselves, and not them. All we can do is improve the shared situation.
Being kind is being quiet; it’s listening and being open, without cultivating anything and without being too quick to ambush. We have to remember that we are all improving – just at different rates. Whatever standard we think we are at, some day the person facing us will catch up, and may actually overtake us in realisation!
We improve by being generous, patient, disciplined and concentrated, and realising transcendent wisdom – the six perfections.
The sign of improvement is compassion with a smile 😀
Is Your Mind Your Own?
Are you aware of being part of mass hypnosis?
Do you go into a routine?
from Wikipedia:
“In ‘Propaganda’ (1928), Bernays argued that the manipulation of public opinion was a necessary part of democracy. In public relations, lobby groups are created to influence government policy, corporate policy or public opinion, typically in a way that benefits the sponsoring organisation.
“Edward Bernays stresses that we are in fact dominated in almost every aspect of our lives, by a relatively small number of people who have mastered the ‘mental processes and social patterns of the masses,’ which includes our behaviour, political and economic spheres or our morals.
“In theory, each individual chooses his own opinion on behaviour and public issues. However, in practice, it is impossible for one to study all variables and approaches of a particular question and come to a conclusion without any external influence. This is the reason why society has agreed upon an ‘invisible government’ to interpret information on our behalf and narrow the choice field to a more practical scale.”
The truth shall set you free …
so you’d better start meditating now!
Mind manipulation is happening at this moment …
so you’d better start meditating now!
Your spiritual teacher may not know this …
so you’d better start meditating now!
Religion is part of
the manipulation of public opinion …
so you’d better start meditating now!
Meditation is just being aware.
You don’t have to be ‘good at meditation’;
you merely have to be aware without comment.
Freedom from comment means dropping opinions –
which may not be your own anyway!
These comments are just
the manipulation of public opinion …
so you’d better start meditating now!
How To Fool Yourself
I have to be a good meditator.
I have to be Buddhist.
I have to be a Dharma practitioner.
I have to adopt the Tibetan culture.
I have to be in a gompa/temple.
I have to be pure awareness.
You don’t have to be any of the above.
Meditation is simply being aware, and accepting whatever occurs. Whatever occurs now is the result of our previous actions. Being unaware and not accepting whatever occurs, we will be doing something to ‘improve’, and that is never ending: we will never feel good enough.
This is a slightly different approach. Of course, we want to be better than we are, so we try all sorts of practices, and read all sorts of books – and this is very helpful. But – when it comes down to it – we are simply aware, without modifying anything: modification contaminates.
We accept the way we are, warts and all. This doesn’t mean that we create more of the same; the illusion is becoming more transparent and we are seeing through it, rather than making it into a reality. We just play out what we started, letting it exhaust itself. Merely being aware of things coming-to-pass, there is a sense of relief. We are not improving ourselves – or anyone else.
Even though we may have had little education and find it hard to express ourselves effectively, we can still know knowingness. If we obsess about the teacher’s realisation and the teaching, we may never realise what we know – our own knowingness.
Awareness may not know anything, but it is aware of knowingness itself.
That is pure, uncontaminated knowingness.
If You Become Enlightened …
it’s your own fault!
There are plenty of teachers and teachings in the enlightenment supermarket. As the Buddha said, we have to test these to see what works for us. It all depends on our ‘taste’, which refers to both our temperament and our direct, personal experience.
It’s all very well to say, “What we seek is within”, but it is we who have to not find it! 😀
Awareness looks for a self, and realises that nothing can be found to point to this self, and awareness is simply left ‘hanging there’. That suspended animation is our ultimate nature of pure awareness, and nothing else.
As we practise, experience grows and little enlightenments switch on. It is all our own doing! 😀 The light grows because the veils of obscuration become more and more transparent, and less solid. Why is this happening now? There is a reconnection with previous good karma.
Of course, there will still be ‘flare ups’ in emotions but, as we said, flare ups bring light!
When we understand, we are self-illuminating.
Non-duality Is Detachment
Non-duality is detachment.
Duality is attachment.
In detachment, there is clarity.
In attachment, there is bias.
Non-duality is ultimate reality.
Duality is a mental reality.
In detachment/clarity,
appearances are instantaneously perceived as they are.
There is no ‘me’ as a reference point.
In attachment,
appearances are seen through memory and judgement,
and are perceived with bias.
There is a reference point of a ‘me’.
Why is this important?
It is the difference between conditional love
and unconditional love.
When appearances arise within emptiness,
they are perceived instantaneously,
without bias or modification.
There is direct perception and therefore, non-duality.
When appearances arise within a biased mind,
they are not perceived instantaneously,
being modified through memory and judgement.
Their perception is therefore dualistic.
Trust In Nothing
Investigate, question and test everything
in the empty nature of mind,
which is only thing we can trust:
our own uncontaminated awareness.
But first, we have to recognise
uncontaminated awareness …
Sacred Science
Buddhism is a science
– a sacred science –
because it relates to
our pure atmosphere.
This is the same in any pure tradition.
Why ascend to the stars
when we can ascend in consciousness?
It’s more fulfilling
… and cheaper!
Working With Stress
Meditation is the answer.
It just takes a little time
to affect the whole system.
Ordinarily, Before We Know It, We React!
It goes like this: perception, memory, judgement, reaction … and then we get a counter-reaction, which generates memory and judgement when perception takes place again. That is our self programming – our cycle of existence – and this karmic programme is running constantly, like the band of information at the foot of a news broadcast … yada … yada … yada … yada … 😀
If we remain at perception and rest there, perception becomes pure perception – pure awareness – pure consciousness. This creates space in which to reflect. Our usual cycle of existence has been interrupted and there is now no counter-reaction – there is merely silent space. Of course, this may be infuriating to the other person 😀 but that is merely their cycle of perception, memory, judgement, reaction, wanting a reaction … yada … yada … yada … yada … ! 😀
We can now engage with the situation without emotions. Meditation is sitting in pure perception, and is stress free. We can now recognise and cut thoughts and reactions as they arise.
Now we can make our mind our pet! It will still want to … yada … yada … yada … yada … 😀 but, with training, it will follow us obediently.
Caution: having identified the yada … yada … yada … be aware that this recognition will produce more yada … yada … yada … !
I Forgot To Mention …
demons changed my life for the better,
and that made life fulfilling!
Having attended spiritual centres over the past 47 years, I had a feeling of safety; I’d joined the side of the righteous. People ‘out there’ were ordinary folk, just going about their ‘selfish’ routines. In a centre, there was always the guru/teacher to rely upon, and routines to make us feel better. We had swapped a selfish routine for a selfless routine. We were happy just to be together, and everything would turn out fine.
Even when I believed in a God, I felt God was watching us: we could rely on God and everything would turn out fine.
It was because of thinking ‘everything would turn out fine’ that my vigilance dropped. I became sloppy, as I was relying on the routines of the spiritual centre and the teacher (although this isn’t necessarily always a bad thing as it gives us a firm foundation for our chosen tradition). The teachings were based around our true nature and the obscurations that cover that true nature – the eternal battle of good and evil – and ‘demons’ were a vague idea of mischief out there.
However, gradually, in this sentimental state, I began to realise that the world was not all right, so how could a deity or a teacher be watching over us? Did this deity or teacher just look after some people, some times? The special people perhaps? Spiritual people are just the same as ordinary people; they may use spiritually-refined words, but are still ruled by the same emotions and become defensive and aggressive when questioned.
I am also engaged in Vajrayana practice involving a wrathful deity, which offers protection from evil spirits. This, too, was a vague, cultural idea at the time. Then I realised that demons are our own likes and dislikes; that is the activator which, if acted upon, attracts more of the same – that is, others’ likes and dislikes. The law of attraction! Are there people who use this very law to have power over others? If there is a law of attraction, then there must be a law of repulsion yielding the same result – power over people.
It was then that I realised we were being watched over by massive surveillance; everything we do is observed, and the internet and “smart” technology made that easy. Demon activity is everywhere, in the form of mass mind control of the population, that instills pleasure and terror through the use of propaganda. Laughingly – and thankfully – this is an extremely powerful, spiritual tool, as it will wake people up … except for those who hold a literal belief in everything they are being told.
Understanding this mass activity heightens awareness. Not only is there personal suffering, but there is also collective suffering. The collective first noble truth is the recognition of suffering. The elitist agenda – both worldly and spiritual – is now clearly out in the open.
The more we remember, the less we forget.
So, thanks demons: these are great times!
😀
Is Life Fulfilling?
Different people will answer this question in different ways.
I’m not talking about dissatisfaction with our physical life; we all have a tale to tell, and wounds to heal. I’m talking about understanding life itself. The eternal ‘what is good’, and ‘what is evil’. Our life was created by our past actions and reactions which have to play themselves out. Sometimes we are unlucky and at other times, we’re lucky. Much depends on our attitude, as to whether we get more or less of the same.
As humans, we don’t seem to learn much about ourselves in a lifetime. We learn to grow up with heavy influences on us, and stay that way. Even if we have moved away from these influences, there will still be a residue left in the mind, as the pattern has been set.
Through understanding, experience and realisation, we can now change all that. The main point to understand is how our confusion all came about, and how it has been maintained. When we understand that, life becomes fruitful and fulfilling, and we start our journey, taking back control. We have learnt to be less than we are – but there is definitely more to us than we think!
My journey to finding life fruitful was unusual. I always thought that the world was full of crazy, people with uncontrolled emotions; it didn’t matter what class they came from, there was either anger or pride, plus all the other emotions. People were always projecting some aspect of themselves in an attempt to make a limited view of life, work!
The question was, was this entirely their fault? Or had they been taken over by ideas? Either way, they seemed crazy and unreliable – as did I. This seemed to be just a way of life and, as such, appears normal. And normally, as we grow older, nothing changes.
Even though I have spent most of my life trying to understand what spirituality is, the explanations I heard were never totally satisfying. All through my years of spiritual searching, I felt that an element was missing. I found spiritual groups elitist – too ready to repeat dogma, and too eager to appear superior. Even in Buddhism, westerners were ready to tell you, “You are clinging”, “You are grasping”, “You are ego-orientated”, “You are wanting an intellectual understanding”, “You have to be devoted to the guru, lama, teacher, “You must see the lama as the Buddha!” This approach honestly didn’t and doesn’t work for me – I tried it. Respect? Yes. But false ecstasy, no. There is too much dogma, and too much adopting of another’s culture, because we dismiss our own.
Fulfilment came to me when I understood about mara demons: that was the turning point. People are enlightened, but we are obscured by ideas. We are ignorant of our true nature, and we;re kept that way!
99% of the population is confused, and the other 1% is corrupt and confused. Within the 1%, there are those who must know how to deflect and distract for their own gain, and they use this information to capture and control the population. We unwittingly consent, and thus abdicate our freedom. Lamas, guru and teachers don’t talk about this because they don’t know how deep the deception goes. It’s all our own ignorance, they say. That’s true – but it’s not all our fault.
It’s an old saying:
“When we know that the world IS crazy,
then everything makes sense!”
Buddhism is a Science
The science of awareness
We can call it a religion or philosophy if we wish,
but Dzogchen is awareness itself.
The science is the end product.
The dictionary definition of science: “The intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment”.
In other words, investigation and realisation.
Science has to agree that, in order for observation to take place, there has to be an observer. But this is where it stops and Buddhism takes over. Buddhism looks at the very nature of the scientist, a nature that can be either tainted or untainted: we have to recognise that we are both impure and pure consciousness.
Things and people have only a seeming reality, a conventional reality, a programmed reality. A programme is a planned series of future events that is pre-written by our karma. It may seem that we can change the programme, but we are merely changing the programme; we have to break out of the programme – the scientist has to be removed from the result. Buddhism looks at the nature of karma so as to recognise this bias and thereby, through recognition, uncovers the pure science of awareness or consciousness.
Dictionary definitions are useful, but sometimes they lead us astray.
Reality: “the state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them.”
This very definition limits human understanding. From the Buddhist perspective, ‘the state of things as they actually exist’ would mean that things are empty of reality as they are impermanent, being created by causes and conditions. They have no reality as they are not constant. We believe in a false reality because we are brought up as consumers, and our ‘things’ are important to us; it is this that gives rise to the bias in our minds.
Reality is not something we can get-our-head-around because we are using a tainted mind.
We have to resolve the very nature of mind – the untainted, pure consciousness. Then we know what is real, and what is seemingly real. If we live within a belief system, we are living in a false reality. This realisation is a bit of a shock … or at least, it’s very annoying.
Buddhist science proves that no ‘thing’ is real. Things are empty of any true existence, and the observer is also empty of any true existence. In the final analysis, pure awareness cannot be said to exist or not exist. There is merely pure awareness in the moment, now, without time for analysis. That can come later, upon reflection. There is no activity to confirm truth, because pure awareness is truth itself. One cannot rest in pure awareness while constantly trying to confirm it. There is no such thing as truth – just awareness of that fact.
“Awareness! Awareness! You’re Always Going On About Awareness!”
It’s what Spirituality is all about.
It’s what Buddhism is all about.
It’s what going back to the beginning is all about.
It’s what the alpha and omega is all about.
It’s what happiness is all about.
It’s what love is all about.
That’s how important awareness is!
Everything we think and do comes from awareness or consciousness. And this awareness or consciousness may be pure or impure – spontaneous or programmed. These two aspects are what cause us either suffering or liberation, which is the cessation of suffering (for ‘suffering’, we can use the word dissatisfied).
“How does this affect me?”
We are awareness, or rather, pure awareness. ‘Me’ is just an collection of assumed ideas which is open to attack and has to be defended. As such, it is ruled by hopes and fears. In truth, there is no ‘me’: it’s a false assumption that everyone follows, and so we also follow.
Awareness has two aspects;
awareness is aware of something other than awareness
and
awareness is aware that there is nothing but awareness, empty of other.
When we are aware of something other than awareness, we become encapsulated; we are attached. When awareness is aware of awareness , t realises that it is free; it is detached.
“What is so important about detachment?”
We are no longer controlled by external events. Of course, at this moment we are limited by our previous actions, the consequences of which have to be played out, but our future will change when we end our attachment to situations.
“But my situation is comfortable and gives me security.”
Nothing lasts, except awareness – or rather, pure awareness. We are never without pure awareness – it’s what we truly are. Whatever we have done in life, pure awareness has always been present. Awareness is the source of everything, and awareness is the source of liberation – enlightenment.
We are merely attached to mistaken assumptions. When we detach from these assumptions, we can then take a fresh, spontaneous look; this is wisdom-intelligence.
Only in the moment now is there pure awareness,
free of thoughts and emotions.
This is non-meditation/non-duality.
It is from the continuity of non-duality
that we can approach situations with a detachment
that has a genuine, caring quality.
That’s love.
How Much? Have We Been Led Astray?
As there are many levels of perception,
there are also many levels of deception.
It’s interesting that the celebration of Christ’s birth is now a prolonged period of
buying and selling:
“Then Jesus went into the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves. And he declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are making it ‘a den of robbers.”
Matthew 21:12
How did that happen?
The answer to this can also apply to Buddhism, where the attraction to what’s inside the box is more compelling than escaping the box itself.
Interrupting Disturbing Emotions – For Practitioners
As a practitioner, we have to be much more aware
of the effect of disturbing emotions.
When we act in the conventional way of human beings, thoughts and emotions are our way of life; they fix our character and become the way in which we live. It’s half our choice and half not; nature and nurture. We assume this defines us, and we stick to it. These mental disturbances have become so ‘normalised’ that we don’t notice there are other possibilities offering freedom from the mechanical process of thoughts and emotions.
As spiritual practitioners, we know about these thoughts and emotions, and it is here that there may be a serious problem. If we do not take spiritual teachings to heart, living beyond mere words, we might find ourselves in an angry hell, with neither inner nor outer peace, but just a rigid personality. It’s easily done, as we assume that we know, but we have merely added spiritual materialism to our conventional materialism.
The point is that we can become arrogant about what ‘we know’. We may know, but we might not realise knowingness itself: we rest in knowingness for a moment, and then rush out into knowing something – and thereby cause havoc 😉 As practitioners, we need to realise knowingness for longer periods, thus sustaining the experience. Without this, we may not have changed our attitude and our way of life, and as a result, actually consider ourselves superior and become a little smug … if not a big smug! Renunciation is the formal rejection of something – typically a belief, claim, or course of action: in renouncing obsessions, we become clearer, more intelligent, kinder and able to just let things be.
Reducing, interrupting and eliminating disturbing emotions is what enlightenment is all about. It softens and melts this fixated personality, revealing a realised space of genuine kindness.
Of course, it’s not easy. It’s always challenging as the world is one huge, mental institution run by the inmates. Thank goodness there’s an exit!
The Inner Teacher Is Not Our Spiritual Advisor
The teacher shows you something.
The advisor tells you something.
Once we realise the clarity of the unconstructed nature of mind, the inner teacher is the mind’s mistaken constructs: we are thus constantly reminded to drop these like a hot brick. Like a smudge on a mirror, we see that our clear view is obscured. We, the student (essence), learn something; “There’s another obscuration!”
The clarity of recognition is reminded of its pure, conscious awareness. Now, through empathy, the student utilises this realisation for the benefit of others, and becomes the teacher. This is essence love. We now know the answer to the question, “What’s wrong with me?” The teacher is the irritating grit; it’s the obscuring smudge.
Any attempt to comfort ourselves in justification automatically separates us from reality. That is the role of ego, our spiritual advisor. Our comforter.
from “Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism:
by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
“We have come here to learn about spirituality. I trust the genuine quality of the search but I must question its nature. The problem is that ego can convert anything to its own use – even spirituality. Ego is constantly attempting to acquire and apply the teachings of spirituality for its own benefit. The teachings are treated as an external thing, external to ‘me’, a philosophy that we try to imitate. We do not actually want to identify with or become the teachings. So if our teacher speaks of renunciation of ego, we attempt to mimic renunciation of ego. We go through the motions, make the appropriate gestures, but we really do not want to sacrifice any part of our way of life. We become skilful actors, and while playing deaf and dumb to the real meaning of the teachings, we find some comfort in pretending to follow the path.
“Whenever we begin to feel any discrepancy or conflict between our actions and the teachings, we immediately interpret the situation in such a way that the conflict is smoothed over. The interpreter is the ego in the role of the spiritual advisor … (my italics)
“ … It doesn’t matter what we use to achieve self justification; the wisdom of sacred books, diagrams or charts, mathematical calculations, esoteric formulae, fundamentalist religion, depth psychology, or any other mechanism. Whenever we begin to evaluate, deciding that we should or should not do this or that, then we have already associated our practice or our knowledge with categories, one pitted against the other, and that is spiritual materialism, the false spirituality of our spiritual advisor. Whenever we have a dualistic notion such as, ‘I am doing this because I want achieve a particular state of consciousness, a particular state of being’, then automatically we separate ourselves from the reality of what we are.”
(Different teachers employ different methods of expression which satisfy those of a particular temperament. This is why it’s important to take a good look at the outer teacher – and their students :D)
Jesus said, “And the truth shall set you free.”
As Buddhists, we interpret this as meaning:
the realisation of absolute reality of pure conscious awareness shall set you free.
When realised, you are free of ‘you’!
Teachers, traditions and cultures interpret truth in their own way. To be accurate, it is our own genuine experience that is the reality, rather than a reliance upon hearsay. Hearsay is like ‘whispering in a line’ which may become distorted, both unintentionally … and intentionally.
As a Buddhist, the ‘kingdom of heaven’ is the absolute reality of pure conscious awareness.
‘God’ is the absolute reality of pure conscious awareness.
The ‘Father’ is the absolute reality of pure conscious awareness.
Our true nature is the absolute reality of pure conscious awareness.
Truth is not a belief: it may be demonstrated or pointed out to any sentient being who has ears to hear.
Jesus said, “No one goes to the Father but by me.” As a Buddhist, this is read as, “No one attains enlightenment but by a teacher.”
To be more accurate; “No one realises absolute reality but by recognising the mistaken self-identity of the me’ “. This recognition is the unity of the two truths of relative and absolute reality. By virtue of one, the other is known.
When this is understood, experienced and realised, we become self-reliant and free. We use the pattern of our karmic behaviour to realise our true nature. Our karmic reactions are recognised within emptiness.
The path to enlightenment comprises steps of realisation.
The path to endarkenment comprises distractions and perversions.
We Need An Excellent Aim…
… if we are to know where we are going with the Dharma; we can then easily recognise whatever is stopping us.
Honestly, it is in the recognition of the mind being either in turmoil or indifference, that the inner teacher is instructing us to return to discipline of the shamata practice of stillness.
Now we can rely on the inner teacher, and be perfectly natural in all situations.
Instructions of Gampopa
These are the ten situations in which whatever is done is excellent:
If an individual whose mind has gone to Dharma abandons
activity, it is excellent. If he or she does not abandon,
then it is also excellent
If an individual who has cut through super-impositions in the
mind meditates, it is excellent. If he or she does not meditate,
it is also excellent.
If an individual who has cut through entanglement in
desirable things acts without passion, it is excellent. If he
or she does not act in that way, it is also excellent.
If an individual who has direct realisation Dharma sleeps in
an empty cave, it is excellent. If he or she leads a large
community, it is also excellent.
If an individual who recognises appearances to be illusory
lives alone in retreat, it is excellent. If he or she wanders
throughout the land, it is also excellent.
If an individual who has attained freedom of mind abandons
desirable things, it is excellent. If he or she partakes of
them, it is also excellent.
If an individual endowed with bodhicitta practises in solitude,
it is excellent. If he or she benefits others in a community,
it is also excellent.
If an individual whose devotion is unfluctuating remains in
the presence of his or her guru, it is excellent. If he or she
does not remain there, it is also excellent.
If, for an individual who has heard much and understood the
meaning of what he or she has heard, siddhis arise, it is
excellent. If obstacles arise, it is also excellent.
If a yogi who has attained realisation possesses
signs of common siddhis, it is excellent. If he or she
does not possess them, it is also excellent.
Those are the ten situations in which whatever is done is excellent.
Translated by Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche
We Do Not Abide
We do not abide
as there is no abider,
but merely abiding.
We do not observe
as there is no observer,
but merely observing.
We do not meditate
as there is no meditator,
but merely meditation.
We are not aware
as there is no one to be aware
but there is merely awareness.
Objective Dharma and Subjective Dharma
Objective: not dependent on the mind for existence.
Subjective: dependent on the mind or on an individual’s perception for its existence.
Objective Dharma is the facts in actuality – that we are pure awareness.
Subjective Dharma is the actual experience of realising pure awareness.
The Buddha taught about absolute reality and the obstacles to realising that, but advised that we test his words to see if they are true; only then do we know. The teachings are all about arriving at pure, compassionate awareness: we use whatever means or methods suit our temperament to arrive at this conclusion for ourselves.
Learning words is not enough; we have to realise those words. So we could say that the Buddha’s words are not the truth, but the realisation of those words is the truth.
When we go to a teacher or a Dharma centre, we will only ever get general information. The actual experience of this information turns into knowledge when we sit in stillness, and reveals realisation of the truth.
A teacher can tell us the truth – lots of people can tell us the truth – but it is down to us as individuals to discern what is true. There are those who look down on logic and reason, but in this day and age, it is vital!
Body, Speech And Mind
In the Dharma, prayer and ritual may be a little difficult to accept because we may not be ready for them; even though we may be introduced to prayer and ritual at the beginning of our path, it’s not until we see them as a means of purification that their full value is understood.
Reading and hearing about the Dharma is only one aspect: we also have to live it. This is, of course, a personal decision and will depend on our understanding – and how much we recognise the damage done by the influences of the world in which we live.
We are town-dwelling yogis, and not monks and nuns. However, we can live with the same principles of mindfulness of body, speech and mind; in other words, we avoid frivolity. We can still have fun and be very creative, but we are mindful of the effects that restlessness and careless speech have on our minds and, out of compassion, stand firm for the benefit of others.
Prayer and ritual create a pure atmosphere for enlightening body, speech and mind. We sit with a good posture to keep the body and mind alert, and recite something that is meaningful to us.
Being balanced and steadfast in all areas,
an awareness of body, speech and mind
creates an atmosphere of inspiration.
Catching Demons
before they catch us
Fantasy media (which come in many forms: Hollywood, video games, art, news,
religion … ) places imaginary beliefs in the dark corners of our mind. Our reactions to this demonic activity have become so normalised that separation from reality goes unnoticed. Fantasy entertainment makes money. It’s an addictive illusion.
We see demons as destructive forces; they are mischief makers, twisters who are trying to control our collective consciousness.
Demonic activity is anything that distracts us from reality, causing us to believe in the illusion.
Reality is our verifiable true nature which is pure, undistracted, conscious awareness. Demons are illusions; all illusions are temporary phenomena. as they have no independent, permanent reality.
How does demon activity work?
It works through our very own likes and dislikes: they are the activators. Demons are a major part of our life; they represent our self-centred-ness. Once activated, we become preoccupied and unable to concentrate. It is this behaviour that we have to catch – that very moment that these obsessive likes and dislikes appear. Then we cannot be captured.
Conscious awareness of the four enlightened activities neutralises demonic activity (for more information, search this blog for “the four enlightened activities”). People, Hollywood, video games, art, news, religion … these are exploitative, even subtly so: the aim is to engender a reaction that they can feed off. Social media of all kinds feeds off this opinion-frenzy, and someone, somewhere, makes money.
If we don’t react to this agenda, there is nothing for them to gain. We do not consent, but remain in spacious awareness. Their demons no longer activate our demons 😉
Be on the look out for them and catch ’em
when they are about to arise.
Like a thief entering an empty house,
we have nothing to lose and they have nothing to gain.
There is therefore no crime.
Now comes the most important point …
Be kind to them, as they have no reality.
They are merely a belief
caught in imagination.
It’s All Down To Determination
Determination is down to recognition.
Recognition is down to knowledge.
Knowledge is down to instruction.
Instruction is down to the continuity of a lineage,
revealing what we already know!
Through experience coming from practice,
realisation is revealed.
So what is stopping determination now?
When we ask this question again and again,
we ascend the levels.
Still Think You Aren’t Good Enough?
Our present thoughts, behaviour, reactions and judgements are products of our past actions: this is our programme. If we are unaware, it is we who create more of the same, rather like watching a film of ourselves playing a part … “There my programme goes again!” It’s as if we are encoded to be ‘down on ourselves’, even though we appear to be ‘bigging ourselves up’! Whatever happens, it is just background noise – a background programme running, albeit pleasant or unpleasant.
For some strange reason, our clinging to this self programme makes us feel safe and secure. It’s like living in an abusive relationship with ourselves; we think we cannot get out.
So what do we do?
All that matters is awareness.
The moment we are aware of our habitual reactions and stop, allowing space in the situation, we are no longer replaying the karmic game – and in fact, we produce no karma. All that matters is awareness: when awareness refines, the future changes, along with our intelligence. We open up a new timeline.
Of course, the mess we find ourselves in – beautiful or otherwise – is still a mess, but that is just our karmic accumulation.
“Okay, but others have it so much better.” Do they? Do you really want to be in their shoes? Superficially, appearances can appear to be better. And anyway, our lot is our lot, and their toys are just expensive toys. All that matters is awareness.
Now we can begin to accept things as they are. We stop fighting and struggling. When that happens, we find peace.
“Okay, but others have it so much better!” Maybe … but now you realise that you are good enough because you are the only one to recognise your patterning: as a result, that which needs to be dropped, falls away, and that which needs to be enhanced is refined. The less we have to maintain and protect, the more generous we can be with ourselves. That is using intelligence.
If we are not reacting the way we did in the past, that in itself is a refinement, an upgrade. Our life is full of toys; some believe their toys to be more important than the toys of others.
All that matters is awareness.
Perfection is in the awareness, and not in outer manifestations.
All Projections Are Sticky
The Buddha’s teaching is about our own knowingness, awareness, consciousness in its pure state (although, in truth, this cannot be called a ‘state’ as it is the empty receptivity of pure intelligence). When we hear such teachings, they feel familiar and true, and it’s a shock that we never noticed such clarity before.
A teacher, guru, lama instructs and guides us to this realisation. In doing so, the teacher, guru, lama is actually more important than the Buddha, because we have a first direct contact of translations, commentaries and explanations. The teacher, guru, lama is therefore very important.
Although we need respect, appreciation, reverence – and even adoration – for these teachings, our behaviour towards the teacher can become sticky, forming a sticky queue of sticky hope and fears, of gushing and over-enthusing, in the hope that the teacher will recognise us.
In Tibetan Buddhism, there is thus much bowing and prostrating to the teacher, throne, shrine … basically, to anything that has brocade on it 😀 … as an outward show of devotion. Such behaviour is supposed to act as an antidote to pride, but its performance now encourages pride. The middle classes tend to identify with their ‘betters’, and this is especially applicable when the teacher comes from another culture: you don’t get westerners prostrating to westerners, do you? A teacher from another culture may assume such stickiness is normal, and therefore doesn’t understand or acknowledge the sentimentality behind it.
This can cause us to doubt our own intelligence and, as a result, we come to rely on the teacher for everything. Such behaviour is not liberation.
All appearances are projections in the mind, which we then interpret. When we identify with these projections, they appear real, and feelings and emotions arise – and we suffer at a conventional level. It’s as if we are watching a film and reacting with tears of joy or horror.
When we do not identify with projections that arise in the mind but rather, see them as mere projections within our empty nature, they then become the method for the realisation of the empty nature of all phenomena: that is our pure intelligence. On a practical level, we may be surprised to find that we have actually let go, allowing situations to unfold without interference.
All emotion ensnares us: bardo practice is all about transcending appearances. Regardless of whether appearances are attractive or unpleasant, we remain balanced, avoiding extremes while not falling into indifference.
In other words, we are not stuck in the stickiness of any emotion.
In This Horrendous, Fear-Mongering, Complex World …
… we need a simple teaching of absolute truth. One that is easy to remember, even at death, and can be proven by anyone at any moment. Neither a belief system nor imagination, it is free from contamination and elaborations.
What is that absolute truth? Conscious Awareness.
Conscious awareness is ever-present, free from all the comings and goings. When realised, happiness is realised. When realised, compassion is realised.
The world remains horrendous, fear-mongering and complex … and smug, terrorising, smug, insensitive, smug, poverty-stricken, smug … but now we understand that it cannot help itself because it is owned by ideas.
The more we are owned, the more we react.
When we are free, we are no longer owned.
We are no longer possessed!
We can only realise this by seeing and living the crap.
To pretend is to ignore.
Desire Precisely
… desire is then discernment.
Generally speaking, in Buddhism, we talk about desire and aversion as being negative and unskillful. However, this is only the starting level to understanding how ignorance of our true nature causes us suffering; it does this through awareness being distracted by desire and aversion (hope and fear). Traditionally, in Buddhism, these are known as the three poisons.
As humans, we are obsessed by excessive activity and become addicted, which influences our actions. Thus, we are encased in a personality, an habitual patterning, an avatar; “an incarnation, embodiment, or manifestation of a person or idea”. It’s that old (very old) reptilian brain at work again 😀
More importantly, governments and the corporate world use these same principles to ensnare people by promoting fears and hopes. We then over react, becoming either too tight or too loose … wound up or run down … outraged or indifferent.
Being aware of this phenomenon, these poisons now become wisdoms. That’s the Buddha in the mud!
When desire is discernment – or discriminating awareness – desire is precise and skilful. We know exactly what is needed. Having a sharp, efficient tool makes the job easier, and it’s the same with a sharp mind – a discerning mind! And, above all, a compassionate mind. A desire to practice correctly, effortlessly speeds our journey as we learn to look more closely, opening up possibilities. This also applies to aversion: through the tool of discrimination, we recognise what is harmful and distracting.
As long as we use desire and aversion as skilful tools – traditionally known as “skilful means” – and apply the chosen method precisely, when the job is done, we put the tool down and ‘let go’.
And all is well.
The Buddha taught what we already know but hadn’t noticed because we had become too dull or too excited. What did he teach? He taught how to turn awareness into pure awareness!
How? He ‘Pointed Out’ that when awareness (which is natural to all creatures), through instruction, looks in on itself in meditation and finds nothing, there is merely awareness. Simply being aware. There no ‘me’ in the sense of ‘me being aware’, as that takes time to relate to, and so we move away from nowness. When we move from nowness to relate to something – a ‘me’, for instance – we arrive at relative truth; a conventional mistake. We are pure awareness itself.
Nowness is timelessness.
There is no time for ‘me’, because timeless awareness is ever now. To consider ‘me’ means to create time away from timelessness.
Timeless awareness is embodied in a temporary form through ignorance of itself. It becomes involved in phenomena, and forgets.
When it remembers,
it finds its heart’s desire!
Low Self Esteem
Low self esteem is as mistaken as high self esteem.
It is the same as pride, and inverted pride.
It’s all about me.
The way in which we estimate, compare or appraise ourselves has a huge effect on our lives, and our practice. We feel unworthy, and out of place.
This can make us half-hearted about everything we do, as we become troubled by doubt, and make do in life. “The meek shall inherit the earth” doesn’t mean that we don’t have a diamond heart: we need this bold heart.
If we feel that we have little merit, this affects our spiritual practice: we need to take another look at who is feeling this – and, more precisely, that which is that is aware of it. Some paths are full of flowers and rainbows, whereas some are stony. Which do you think is more distracting?
To understand the Buddha’s teachings, we don’t need to have an unusual name or title: the teachings are for everyone. They are our common potential. The teachings are all about what we truly are, and what it is that inhibits the realisation of this. We are worthy of this potential – all of us. We are not especially low or high; we are just the way we are.
People criticise one another. The spiritually-inclined are no different, and this includes Buddhists. It’s possible to follow the doctrine of compassion while lacking compassion.
Lack of understanding – which is a limited view – doesn’t allow for others to be the way they are, because there is a lack of empathy for others’ causes and conditions. We are each the way we are precisely because of our journey so far.
However, if we recognise this ultimate potential, we can refine and upgrade. This ‘self’ – this ‘ego’ – is a great reminder and a great teacher. It does not matter what others think or say; their life is their life. The Buddha’s teachings are precious.
< ———————————Life deserves a sparkle! ———————————- >
Tsoknyi Rinpoche and Mingyur Rinpoche Dzogchen Retreats
Tsoknyi Rinpoche and Mingyur Rinpoche are sons of Tulku Urgyen in the Nyingma Dzogchen tradition. Below are lists of retreats and information. Generally, to receive the “Pointing out instruction” of the nature of mind, one needs to have attended at least one other retreat, from either Rinpoche.
All teachings point out something!
😀
http://www.tsoknyirinpoche.org/category/retreats/
http://www.pundarika.uk.net
http://tergar.org/events/
http://tergar.org/about/mingyur-rinpoche
I, Robot
How do we work? And how do we awaken from our programming? In order to do this, we have to understand how the mind works – both our mind and the minds of others. Even more importantly, we have to understand what we actually are.
We have unconsciously accepted being programmed. By whom? By others who are also programmed. So who programmed them? Is there anyone in charge? No! Some robots think that they’re in charge, but that’s only their programming 😀 We have been told to hail our maker – but we are the makers.
Until we realise our true nature, we will chug along mechanically, thinking that we have choice. As long as we obey our programming, we will remain in the same identity, with the same personality. Some of us are skilled; some are very clever; some merely entertain themselves – and others.
We have sense receivers. Information is sent to the perception centre that registers this information; the memory bank provides recognition, and then judgement takes place. Is it pleasant? Unpleasant? Neutral?
Buddhism explains this through the five skandha, and the eight consciousnesses. The description of the six psychological realms helps us understand that, like a chess computer, we have adopted a style of programme that might be anything from passive to aggressive … or any other emotional state.
We are shown words or images, and our buttons get pressed. We, in turn, relay those words and images to others, thus pressing their buttons.
How do we get out of this cycle of existence?
Meditation.
Meditation shuts the programme down – and we wake up! We now have choices. But we have to be careful how we approach others; waking up can be annoying and they will temporarily blow their circuits. We are no longer the same as them; we have made effort, and this reminds them that they need to make an effort, but are too busy playing a role.
Unfortunately, shutting down the programme may seem boring, because we want to be up and doing. Gradually, through meditation, we become familiar with pure conscious awareness – our true nature, inner peace – our true nature, happiness – our true nature.
We can now express wakefulness creatively through compassionate activity.
Disappointment Is The Ultimate Fulfilment
What else did you expect?
😀
In the non-fulfilment of our expectations
lies the satisfaction
that results from developing our full potential.
Our expectations hold us back
from just seeing.
What we see may be pleasant or unpleasant,
but our potential is the pure seeing.
The only person who can save us is ourselves.
We just have look in the right direction and recognise,
instead of chasing spiritual promises.
Conventionally, We Are Complex, Problem Creatures
Ultimately, we are devoid of this complexity of problems.
How so?
In pure awareness, none of the below exist.
Compassionate wisdom understands this conundrum.
Affection
Anger
Annoyance
Anticipation
Anxiety
Apathy
Arousal
Awe
Boredom
Confidence
Contempt
Contentment
Courage
Curiosity
Depression
Desire
Despair
Disappointment
Disgust
Distrust
Ecstasy
Embarrassment
Empathy
Envy
Euphoria
Fear
Frustration
Gratitude
Grief
Guilt
Happiness
Hatred
Hope
Horror
Hostility
Humiliation
Hysteria
Interest
Jealousy
Joy
Loneliness
Love
Lust
Outrage
Panic
Passion
Pity
Pleasure
Pride
Rage
Regret
Remorse
Resentment
Sadness
Self-confidence
Shame
Shock
Shyness
Sorrow
Suffering
Surprise
Trust
Wonder
Worry
Buddhist Meditation Uncovers Our Neuroses
… and that is when – and why – the healing can start.
Meditation is not meant to make us feel good and tranquil; it is not a technique to hide our deep neuroses. Meditation is opening the mind to reality, seeing how it distorts and exaggerates. This needs discipline and honesty. It is not about “Wearing a golden chain of spirituality” (Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche); it is seeing how things are – unpleasant and pleasant (mostly unpleasant!).
This is why the Buddha said that the first step to discovering truth is acknowledging that we are suffering. Our mental state is the cause of this suffering, and is obscuring the non-mental state of our enlightened nature. It is not about soothing and stroking ourselves, while hating others: hating is a product of the world around us, and this is how we are divided.
Neurosis is mental disturbance, and could be called mental illness. It’s not healthy! This temporary occurrence is not a fixed state; it’s just an extra load we are carrying. Physical life can be a bit – or very – unpleasant, and is guaranteed to be disappointing.
Buddhism is thought by many to be based on misery, which is true if we think that life is all about ‘having treats’ or gathering ‘likes’ on social media. Some are fortunate enough to have a good life, but most of us, if we are honest, have not. We’ve learned to put on a good show.
The “golden chain of spirituality” actually imprisons us. We cannot talk to those who wear this “golden chain of spirituality”, as they are living the dream; this makes them protective, and therefore volatile. I find life disappointing, and have to accept that the only communication that I have is with someone’s teaching from 2,500 years ago.
Acknowledging our neuroses, our confusion, is the path to liberation. Liberation occurs when we realise that the neuroses never truly existed. They just feel real. First, we need to take a good look … I mean, a really good look – and to experience the effect of that. Only then can we realise that pure awareness is the source of realisation. That is the point of meditation.
Looking is good.
Not looking is … not looking.
The realisation that, rather than looking,
we’re living the dream of others
can be a bit of a shock!
Don’t Be Surprised; Nothing Is Random
Everything has a cause, due to conditions.
Each leaf grows and falls in a precise way, due to causes and conditions.
In the autumn, leaves cannot not fall.
A deluded person
cannot not be deluded.
When we are programmed to hate,
we cannot not hate.
When we realise the nature of deluded, conventional life,
we will never be surprised.
The creation of suffering is karma (our pattern).
We end suffering by ending karma.
We end karma by ending ignorance.
We end ignorance by realising our true nature,
which is pure awareness.
If we expect something more,
then we are back to creating karma,
and so we suffer.
Sentient beings are not reliable; we can rely on that.
If, on an icy road, we ignore wisdom,
then we come under the conventional laws of gravitation.
In nirvana/shunyata/emptiness, there are no surprises.
In samsara, there are lots of surprises that self-perpetuate.
“Talk About Worry!”
Talk about synchronicity!
Talk about tranquillisers!
Talk about life being our teacher!
Yesterday, I admitted my worries to my wife Kathie: “Do you know?” I said. “I worry about everything, and I’m okay with that.” Didn’t I say that, Kathie?! Yes, you did 🙂 For some, worry is their natural pattern: in you, I see it as a source of energy and motivation. K
I’ve always had the impression that I shouldn’t feel that way, because the collective spiritual community wants us to be calm, pleasant … and docile! Or that’s been my experience – which has been the cause of many problems in life.
Yesterday, I was looking up ‘synchronicity’, ‘coincidence’, ‘causality’ and ‘karma’, and the way that answers are all around us if we look; these come together at the right time.
Because of awareness of the inner teacher – and thanks to the outer teacher for pointing this out – life itself becomes our teacher. Otherwise, things ‘just seem to happen’ for no reason, as they do for most of us in daily life.
This morning, I wondered, “How can all this be pulled together?” My hand just picked up a book and opened a page …
“This present time of the teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni is also called the age of strife, or the time in which the five degenerations are rampant, these being the decline in lifespan, era, being, view and disturbing emotions. Although people fight amongst themselves during this age, the Vajrayana teachings blaze like the flame of a wildfire at this time. Just as the flames of negative emotions flare up, so do the teachings. There is a saying that plays on the meaning of the name Shakyamuni and Maitreya: ‘muni’ means ‘capable’, while ‘Maitreya’ means ‘the loving one’. The proverb says, “During the muni, people try to compete with each other, which during the Maitreya, they will love each other.”
“During the age of strife, it seems as though people are seldom amiable, rather, they are always trying to outdo one another. This fundamental competitiveness has given rise to the name, ‘the age of strife’ but this is exactly the reason that Vajrayana is so applicable to the present era. The stronger and more forceful the disturbing emotions are, the greater the potential for recognising our original wakefulness. In the era of Maitreya, everyone will be loving towards one another but they will not even hear the word ‘Vajrayana’ – there will not be any Vajrayana teachings.
“It is a fact that, at the very moment we are strongly caught up in thought forms, or in the surging waves of an emotion – of anger, for instance – it is much easier to recognise the naked state of awareness. This, of course, is not the case when we have trained in a very tranquil, placid state of meditation where there are no thoughts and negative emotions. Then, do to what is called ‘the soft pleasure’, it is actually much more difficult to recognise the true state of the non-dual mind. Through training solely in serenity, we may end up in the Realm of Conceptionless Gods, and remain for eons in an unbroken state of absorption.
This state is similar to being intoxicated with the spiritual pleasure of peace and tranquility. In fact, however, this repose as a conceptionless god, does not help you one iota in approaching the awakened state. Among the traditional eight states in which one is unfree to pursue a spiritual path, taking rebirth among conceptionless gods, it is the worst circumstance as it is the ultimate side track.
“Conversely, experiencing great despair, great fear and intense worry can be a much stronger support for practice. For example, if we are suffering from a fatal illness and we are on the brink of death, if we can remember to look into the nature of mind as we are about to die, our experience will be very unlike the normal training in peacefulness. It is the intensity of emotion that allows for a more acute insight into mind essence.”
Tulku Urgyen
That’s why raw, intense emotions are wisdoms –
as long as we are not using them to blame and justify our actions,
which engenders delusion.
The Infinite in the Infinite
Outer infinity is only known
by virtue of inner infinity.
It does not matter what’s out there;
it only exists because of what’s in here.
If there was nothing knowing in here,
what is out there would be irrelevant.
Outer infinity is never ending, never beginning, and can never be known.
Inner infinity is never ending, never beginning, and can be known.
Isaiah 53:6:
“All we, like sheep, have gone astray” …
and therefore lead others astray.
We all have a resistance to the infinite reality within, simply because our own reality is unfamiliar to us. We spend our entire life looking at the infinite universe, worshipping an infinite deity, desiring infinite power, wealth, entertainment, sex … we are obsessed, and are driving ourselves crazy. Obsessive activity makes us frustrated and therefore addicted, and addictions have to be fed!
We can also become obsessed with religion, spirituality, gurus, philosophy – even the Buddha’s teachings: these can become just ‘the thing we do’, that distracts and leads us astray. Switch on the radio, television, news … it all maintains sleepiness. We spend our entire life watching, but never realising the watcher; the source of reality within.
We live in a fantasy. We might ask, “So what?”
So this: we are continually being misled by others who are also misled. We have been misled for thousands of years, believing, believing, believing.
“Okay, I see this, but we don’t have to be obsessive about it. I need some time out to relax.”
That’s the karmic habitual patterning we set up in previous incarnations. Enlightenment is the totally relaxed reality of pure conscious awareness – and can be realised in this lifetime. There is no need to spend our entire life occupied, or involved in acquiring an upgraded lifestyle.
Every thing is only known by the infinite source within – our true nature. This pure awareness is the only reality. Everything else merely comes to pass.
Once inner infinity is realised, compassion turns the light onto resistance.
We Have To Make A Decision
or remain stuck.
Our personality, and the situations in which we find ourself, come from the past, and may not necessarily be pleasant. The debts of karma are unavoidable. Knowing this, we need not feel depressed: that was then, now is now. If we don’t accept what we were, this creates a feeling of guilt and we will be stuck on a treadmill of the past. Remembering the past too much is not helpful because it maintains an influence over now. We have an ego; through practice, this becomes a tamed ego. A stabilised ego can handle anything.
In surrendering everything, there is nothing to surrender; nothing to get rid of because everything is seen as an illusion in the mind. When we stop struggling and fearing, we feel better. Conventional life will never be perfect. Absolute life is perfect.
We are not taking a tranquilliser; we’re seeing and accepting things they are. If we make a decision to see that everything has a cause and an effect, we won’t become stuck in taking them seriously; we won’t fixate, and suffer.
Accepting the consequences of our actions completes the action. Letting go is purification, which brings clarity and compassion to the next action. This is how life becomes our teacher and, as a result, there is nothing to fear. A stabilised ego can handle anything. People may provoke us, but we don’t argue; we have made the decision not to re-enact. With confidence, we meet fear with compassion, and we are no longer stuck in retaliation.
It’s said that it’s possible to become enlightened in one lifetime, or in the bardo – at the moment of death, or just afterwards: this is worthwhile bearing this in mind.
The Origin Of The Cosmos And Consciousness
… There isn’t one …
😀
The universe is infinite. Space, matter and pure consciousness are infinite, so there can be neither beginning nor end. Searching for the origin of life is therefore irrelevant.
If there was a big bang, there must have been previous big bangs, and in an infinite universe, those big bangs were little bangs … it’s all relative.
If there is a God, why did God only come up with the idea of making Earth 5 billion years ago, when the universe is infinite?
An infinite number of sentient beings will have an infinite number of forms: whatever makes them tick makes us tick too. Their true nature is our true nature. Hoping for something different is absolutely idiotic.
Our bodies are made of infinite particles of the universe.
Pure consciousness is infinite because it is empty of particles.
We cannot conceive of infinity because concepts are limited.
It can only be recognised in the realisation
of the infinity of our essential nature.
The Psychology Of Death And Life
The conclusion we come to – or don’t come to – about what happens at death is a belief, and a belief has a psychological effect on the way we live now.
If we believe that death is the end of our being, then we would want to make the most of this precious life, wouldn’t we? There may be psychological comfort in the belief that we might leave a legacy for our children, or even mankind: this would give us a sense of direction and purpose, and at death, hopefully some satisfaction that our life was worthwhile.
If we don’t give death any thought, and just get on with our lives, then that will also have a psychological effect. Maybe, at death, we feel, “I enjoyed everything that I did” …
Of course, most of us don’t have such a positive attitude, and live in a state of bewilderment and confusion: “No one knows what happens at death, so what does it matter?” This is a point of view.
There are those who might think that religion is the great tranquilliser: this is another point of view, and may or may not be true. The realisation of spiritually-inclined beings is that, at death, we move on.
Of course, all this is a personal matter and will depend on which tradition we choose to follow, and what makes sense to us. Our conclusions will have a tremendous effect on how we live now. Is that a scare tactic? Not at all, as we know that every effect has a cause, therefore every cause has an effect.
But do we know what happens after death?
Our beliefs – and the way in which they make our life meaningful, both consciously and unconsciously – are our own choice. It doesn’t matter what others say; their choice is their choice, so there’s nothing to argue about.
If we hear teachings that make sense to us in life, then if those teachings talk about death, we should be ready to listen. However, culture may colour explanations: The Tibetan Book of the Dead is very colourful and complex, but it is only describing the psychological event of maintaining an open mind and an open heart.
All I can say is, I know that I was born with a certain attitude which is entirely different from that of my family. Spiritual essence that is consciously aware has never changed, but looks through a cloud of ever-changing concepts of pride, fear, jealousy, desire and ignorance.
The last thought at the moment of death will be the result of our life’s practice. This is what we take with us at the moment of death. A life of an open mind and open heart brings clarity and joy, and death may come as it may!
To die is the end of living,
but not necessarily the end of life itself.
Always be prepared, and have a back-up plan!
😀 😀 😀
Changing Who We Are To What We Are
I’m not the person I was
The past is complex, but presents itself now – now is the product of the past. Our present moment is therefore a product of our past. Even our thoughts and attitudes are products of the past. If nothing changes, then our future will be more of the same.
If change can be effected, then our future will change, and we will not be governed by the same old thoughts and attitudes.
If we are perfectly happy, then why change?
If we are not perfectly happy, then change can occur when we admit that we’re not perfectly happy. If we believe we are fixed entities, then we are caught in a belief system that is a prison of obscurity.
If we spend our precious time dwelling on the past, we will never know now. Despite the fact that we experience moments of nowness, their importance goes unnoticed because we find them boring; we miss the simple experience of living. Now is where wisdom resides; the past was confusion. Confusion dawns as wisdom when we recognise the confusion.
Simply put – it is wisdom itself (pure essence) that is recognising the confused mind.
“I’m confused!”
There’s your answer!
Pure essence mistakenly identifies with a confused mind which we call “I”.
This “I” identity will always be confused.
We are the wisdom (pure essence) that is not confused about our confused mind,
realising that confusion never existed.
BUDDHA IN THE MUD is a blog - a living book based on the Dzogchen teachings. Our teacher is life, and life is karma. We are all Buddhas in the mud of concepts. 